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Conference Spotlight
Nuclear Energy Conference & Expo (NECX)
September 8–11, 2025
Atlanta, GA|Atlanta Marriott Marquis
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The Standards Committee is responsible for the development and maintenance of voluntary consensus standards that address the design, analysis, and operation of components, systems, and facilities related to the application of nuclear science and technology. Find out What’s New, check out the Standards Store, or Get Involved today!
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New coolants, new fuels: A new generation of university reactors
Here’s an easy way to make aging U.S. power reactors look relatively youthful: Compare them (average age: 43) with the nation’s university research reactors. The 25 operating today have been licensed for an average of about 58 years.
D. J. Gorman
Nuclear Science and Engineering | Volume 44 | Number 3 | June 1971 | Pages 277-290
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.13182/NSE71-A20161
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
It is generally agreed that lateral vibration of reactor fuel elements is random in nature and is caused by random pressure fluctuations acting on the element surface. A series of tests has been conducted in which a single test element has been subjected to two-phase parallel flow in a circular annulus. Statistical properties of the amplitude of vibration have been measured for various simulated steam qualities with fixed mass flow rate. Statistical properties of the two-dimensional pressure field surrounding the element have also been taken. These properties have been used in conjunction with the linear random vibration theory to arrive at predicted values for vibration amplitude. Good agreement has been found between measured and predicted values of vibration amplitude. It is shown that a high peripheral correlation of the driving forces is primarily responsible for the larger vibrations encountered in two-phase flow. Spectral analysis of the driving forces has been provided with a view toward providing useful information for fuel design.